Finding Bucky
by Kage kioku aji tenshi
Summary: It was a lifetime of sorrows, of worry, of love, and finding Bucky was easier said than done. Final part-follows Keeping him which follows Lifetime.


Steve/Bucky

Summary: It was a lifetime of sorrows, of worry, of love, and finding Bucky was easier said than done.

**Third one, Follows Keeping Him which follows Lifetime. Might want to read those, although you may be able to read them alone, they just kind of go together, it's hard for me to tell, because I remember my stories and I make connections. Let me know, please ;D.**

* * *

James watched the war reel again, he had hoped that watching it would help him remember but it wasn't, he already knew that Steve had a picture of her in his compass, knew his was under hers because they saw each other more than they did and it was good for them to think Steve had a girl and it was good for Steve to have a girl, they would have had cute kids and no one would have looked twice if they had gotten the chance together after the war was over.

Besides James had had Stevie in all the ways that had mattered to them, they hadn't needed words to know that they would choose one another over anyone else.

James shook his head and headed towards the exit when he noticed a kid clutching her chest and gasping. Before James even realized what he was doing he was next to the tiny blonde child and coaxing her through her asthma attack.

He carefully guided the girl to one of the benches and made her sit down as he sat in front of her still helping her keep her breath even.

Her frantic Mother came running back with the medical personnel that the Museum had in the building and James started to move away only to be held tightly by the child's small hand.

She let the medic give her a few seconds of oxygen before she pulled the cup away.

"Thank you." She wheezed.

James smiled at her. "Thank you as well."

She frowned but her Mother was already putting the cup back over her daughter's face and when the woman looked up James was gone.

* * *

James walked through the park, it was a nice day, it would have been a perfect day for Steve to get exercise, of course by the end of it there would have been a fight and James would end up patching the little punk at their apartment before heading out for a late shift, not that Steve would know that, he remembered telling Steve that he had a date and to not wait up for him before going down to the docks to load a late outgoing shipment.

Shouting and laughter called James' attention, for a second he was going to ignore the group of kids, at least until he noticed what exactly they were doing.

"Hey, you kids better scram." James growled as he approached the group.

"Yeah, whatcha going to do 'bout it, sir?" One of the kids sneered; saying sir like it was an insult.

His little groupies laughed.

"I'm not going to do anything because I'm pretty sure you boys want to live to see your next birthday, now beat it." James said, making sure to use his 'I'm a dangerous assassin' voice.

Two of the children pissed their pants and the others decided to cut and run, the one who had spoken in the lead.

James watched them run and then turned to what they had been kicking. With gentleness James didn't know he had he lifted up the tiny golden retriever puppy and cradling it in his left arm made his way to the nearest pet clinic.

* * *

James waited nervously, bouncing his leg as the Veterinarian tended the little puppy in the back room.

One of the children in the room sat next to him, a board on his lap, "Do you want to color?"

"Excuse me?" James asked.

"When the vet has to take Tammy back it calms me a little to color her pictures for when she gets out." The child explained.

"It is an animal, it doesn't care." James said.

"It's not really for her, it's for me. It makes me feel better." The child said and offered James the blue crayon.

James took the crayon and turned so that the two could share the board and they colored.

"James?" James looked up.

"Yes?" He asked as he stood up and walked over to the vet.

"Well, it's not good."

"Did they kill it?" James asked panicked.

"No, but we have to remove his left front leg, they managed to shatter it beyond repair, whoever takes him in is going to have to have a lot a patience." The vet sighed.

"I'm keeping it." James heard himself say.

"Oh, we'll get your licensing started them, what's his name?"

"Cap'." James said instantly.

"You sure you don't want something original?" The vet asked.

"His name is Captain, Cap' is a nickname." James explained.

The vet sighed, "Well, when you bring him in call him Captain, we have so many pets named Cap' or Hulk or Thor, ever since the Avengers showed up, it's hard to keep track."

James nodded, "Are you going to do the surgery now?"

"If that's okay with you, the sooner the better."

James nodded again, "I'll just be over there."

"If you give us your cell..."

"Don't have one. I'll wait."

* * *

James set his new drugged up puppy on the couch, making sure the towel was under him and that the other towel was wrapped so Cap' wouldn't fall off, then James put the drawing the little boy had given him on his fridge, it was a strange picture but James quite liked it, the Blue cat was fighting monsters, he didn't know what else to call the thing the cat was fighting, but what made James like it was that Captain America was with the cat and it reminded James that Steve drew so he got (Stole) because for some odd reason stealing it felt right and he stuffed it into a postage box and penned Sam Wilson's address on it although he addressed it to Steve and sent it away.

It was hardly the first gift he had sent Steve while he was away and it wouldn't be the last but he always wondered if he had gotten the stuff he sent to the tower, so he started sending the stuff to Wilson.

* * *

It took James seven months to find Bucky, well it took him that long to figure out that he never really lost him, as the memories from being the Soldier came back he noticed that he did things that had to be reminiscent of Bucky because the Winter Soldier had no reason to give a street child a loaf of bread, or an artist twenty euro.

The Winter Soldier had no reason to comfort a young French woman who had been left at the altar and he had certainly not been obligated to give her a dance and a kiss, or hope that she would find the right person in the future.

It was strange to find out that the person one was looking for had been there the whole time.

Now, James packed an overnight bag for him and Cap' because he was sure that Stevie wasn't going to let him leave his sight for at least the next two days. Then he walked to the Avengers tower and thought about scaling it just to say he could but Cap' barked and James wasn't even going to try it with Cap'.

The receptionist was nice but easily fooled and James was going to make sure that this was the safest place for his Stevie to be. It was relatively easy to get to the residential part of the Tower and there had to be some type of security in this place, right?

The elevator doors opened and James was greeted with the Avengers in full suit, glaring at him, their significant others behind them.

James laughed at himself, why do you need extra security when you are the security.

"That's not usually the reaction we get." One of the Avengers said, James wasn't sure who.

Cap' barked suddenly and if James was honest the puppy was more cute than vicious.

James knelt and patted the dog's head, "It's okay Cap'."

Someone snorted.

James stood holding the dog in his arms, "Hey, Stevie."

"Bucky." Steve whispered and then he was hugging him, not even minding the dog licking him. "Come in, sorry about the reception thing, but Jarvis said an unknown was on the way."

"And I was worried you weren't safe here." James said.

Steve took off his cowl, and gave him his 'You don't need to look after me' glare.

Which James countered with his 'So says the asthmatic that gets into ally fights' stare.

For a few moments they went back and forth having a silent conversation with just their expression.

"Alright you two, stop it, it's getting creepy." The archer said with a shudder.

"Good to have you back, Buck." Steve said.

"Yeah, good to be back."

"So, you named your dog Cap'?" Stark said.

"Captain, actually, but Cap' is easier after a nightmare." James said as Steve led him to the couch.

"Oh, what happened to his leg?" One of the women asked, sympathetically.

Which drew everyone's eyes to the stump that was Cap's left front paw.

"They had to remove it." James said simply.

"I can fix that." Stark said.

"How?" James asked, brow furrowed.

"Prosthetic, he can be like a mini you."

The woman next to him slapped his arm.

"Ow, Pep, what was that for?" Stark whined.

"Being insensitive."

"I'm the picture of sensitivity." Stark insisted.

"Is this normal?" James asked Steve.

Steve shrugged as an argument began, "As normal as we get."

* * *

Steve insisted that Bucky share with him, for the last eight months he had worried about the man and he needed to know that he was okay, that this was not one of those weirdly realistic dreams that he sometimes had.

"Are we sharing?" Bucky asked, "It'll be like old times."

"Bucky, I found the letter." Steve said sitting on the bed.

Bucky shrugged, "I knew you would, I should hope you found it; it was obvious."

Steve shook his head, "Not that one, the one you never meant me to find, the one in my sketch book."

Bucky stilled where he was setting up Cap's food and water, his back to Steve, "And..."

"'And' what?" Steve asked.

"'And what?' Jesus, Steve!" Bucky whirled around to look at Steve, "And what do you have to say, do you hate me now, want me gone, what, I'll do anything for you, always have, always will."

Steve walked towards Bucky while he was ranting and when Bucky turned his gaze to the floor Steve forced him to look at him, "Just want you, always have, always will."

Steve pressed his forehead to Bucky's, "When I found the note I thought you were dead, thought I'd never see you again, when I found you, I wasn't going to let you go, was going to drag you back, force you to stay, then... then you dragged me to the shore and I knew you were still there, I knew if I waited you'd find your way back to me, figured I'd waited this long what was a little longer for you to come back on your own, so I waited."

"What if I never came back?" Bucky asked softly.

"Doesn't matter, you're here and I ain't ever letting go, you hear?" Steve asked.

"'Til the end of the line?" Bucky asked quietly.

Steve drew him into a tight hug, "Yeah, 'Til the end of the line."

The two then climbed into Steve's bed and Bucky helped Cap' up onto the top of the covers.

"I feel like I should be upset." Steve said as he watched the dog lick at Bucky's face before settling down on his chest.

"Why's that?" Bucky asked, looking over at Steve, his left hand curling over Cap' bottom as the dog fell asleep.

"Cause the dog gets to kiss you." Steve said before blushing.

"Didn't say a thing about you not being able to kiss me. Just don't wake Cap' otherwise he'll be up all night, we don't want that." Bucky said.

Steve grinned and leaned over and pressed a kiss to Bucky's lips.

* * *

Steve started to move away.

"Hey, where you going?" James asked.

"I was going to um... give you some space." Steve said looking at the sheets.

"Had plenty of space, want my Stevie curled up next to me." James muttered, half asleep.

Steve smiled and laid himself next to James, his head resting on his shoulder as James' right arm came around his shoulders and pulled him closer.

"'Sides, I can touch now, like that." James slurred before dropping off, leaving Steve blushing as his mind provided him with images.

'Damn the Serum.' Steve thought before forcing himself to sleep.

* * *

It was a lifetime of sorrows, of worry, of love, and Bucky would never think to change it for the world, and neither would Steve as long as they made it back to each other, everything would be worth it.

* * *

**Author Here, hi, so the titles might not make sense, at least these recent two so for those that don't get it here it is. **

**The one before this one is called **_**Keeping Him**_** because The Winter Soldier may not have realized it but the voice that said stuff was Steve, therefore even though he was repeatedly wiped he kept remembering Steve, or at least things that Steve said or did, therefore **_**Keeping Him**_**, title.**

**This one is fairly obvious once you've read it, there are, I assume, many stories about Steve going on a magnificent quest with Sam and Natasha to find Bucky but I kind of wanted to explore James searching for the person that he used to be, the person that Hydra tried to kill, because that is what they were doing essentially, killing Bucky, over and over, but I liked the idea that he still had moments where he remembered things, maybe not the important things like I don't know 'Hydra Bad' ''Merica good' but little glimpses of who he used to be as seen here. **


End file.
